Life rewards those who dare to dream: Varsity Chancellor

The life story of Gurvinder Singh Bahra is a testament to the power of belief, perseverance and hard work — a journey from an incomplete Chartered Accountancy student to the Chancellor of three universities.

Born in village Purkhowal in the Garhshankar subdivision of Punjab, Bahra grew up in a humble family that valued honesty, education and hard work. Reflecting on his journey while speaking to The Tribune, he said, “I started with nothing but a dream and the courage to follow it. Life rewards those who dare to take the first step.”

He began his education at the Government Primary School in his village and later attended Government Higher Secondary School, Garhshankar, before completing his BCom from RK Arya College, Nawanshahr, in 1985. Aspiring to become a Chartered Accountant, he cleared the secondary exam and began training under a CA in Ludhiana, cycling daily to the office. When his training shifted to Delhi, he carried his bicycle in a bus and continued riding from his room to work every day.

However, during his time in Delhi, he realised that the life of a CA would not offer the “free flight” he desired in the progressive world. He decided to quit CA midway and returned home to start something of his own.

When he sought financial help from his father, the latter hesitated but ultimately supported him, giving away his only plot purchased from lifelong savings. Bahra sold it for Rs 32,000 — his first capital — and opened a small TV shop, initially filling it with empty cartons to make it look stocked. His honesty soon earned him popularity and the business flourished.

The modest shop eventually became a large electronics store with over 1,600 items. Observing that customers struggled to buy on finance, Bahra launched an NBFC in 1997 to provide easy loans for televisions, refrigerators and other goods. The idea proved successful — the finance venture soon outgrew the electronics business.

Yet, Bahra’s ambition only grew. He wanted to create something with a lasting impact. Initially, he planned to start a hotel in Katra with his England-based brother-in-law, Nirmal Singh Rayat, but the idea changed after visiting the site. Someone casually suggested starting an engineering college — and that thought changed his life.

His family thought he had become obsessed, and Rayat was called from England to reason with him. Instead, Rayat was inspired and decided to join him.

In 2000, they took a bank loan to establish a college at Rail Majra near Ropar. The bank financed 60 per cent of the project, while the rest was raised through friends and relatives. The college began with 60 seats each in Electronics, Mechanical and IT Engineering.

“My biggest satisfaction comes from seeing thousands of students get educated, employed, and becoming good human beings,” he said, emphasising that success, to him, is measured not by wealth but by impact.

The college’s success led to rapid expansion — by 2004, the group had grown to 12 institutions, including a new Kharar (Mohali) campus with colleges in Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, Education and Management.

In 2008, inspired by MP Avinash Rai Khanna, Bahra decided to contribute to his home district, Hoshiarpur. He acquired 58 acres of land and began a new campus there, while also tending to his ailing mother in Chandigarh. In 2010, during a visit to Mashobra (Himachal Pradesh) to purchase villas for staff recreation, then Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal encouraged him to start a university — leading to the establishment of Bahra University in Solan in 2011.

In 2013, Bahra took over a small group of colleges near Patiala, increasing student strength from 60 to 3,000 through dedicated effort. The Kharar campus later became Rayat Bahra University in 2014. In July 2025, the Hoshiarpur campus was upgraded to Rayat Bahra Professional University. Today, Gurvinder Singh Bahra serves as Chancellor of three universities, overseeing nearly 30,000 students, including around 1,000 international students. Despite his success, he remains humble and grounded.

Speaking about his family, Bahra said emotionally, “Whatever I am today, I owe it to my family — especially my wife, Manit Kaur, who stood by me through every struggle and sleepless night. Her strength and faith gave me the courage to keep going when things looked impossible.”

Looking ahead, his next goal is to establish a medical college along with a network of hospitals every 50 kilometres to provide affordable healthcare in rural areas. “My next dream is to build a medical college and a chain of hospitals every 50 kilometres, so that even the poorest in villages can get quality healthcare,” he shared.